Aetherious Mortem
by KisaragiKei
Summary: Lelouch died by the hands of Suzaku Kururugi. C's world judgement was to be exiled from the entire human collective. Now all he had was a long road to travel with two subjects at his side. What does hie desire After all his strife, war, and blood? To wait for the end? Or to find a way back to his universe? He'd have to bypass the Ancients and Ori first. Yet to meet the SGC.
1. Chapter 1

Presenting Aetherious Mortem

This is going to be a slow doozy.

* * *

Lelouch gave a pitiful smile as he gazed upon his Earth. Yes, the Earth that had given, taken, and tested his fortitude during his entire life had finally reached a semblance of peace. The young amethyst eyed man breathed deeply as he took a walk down his memories in C's world.

Around the man's body was pure emptiness. The feelings of cold or warmth could not be found as the earth slowly rotated below him, while Jupiter looked from above. C's world, Collective Unconsciousness, and the Afterlife; They were all applicable terms for where his was.

Lelouch Lamperouge, or rather Lelouch Vi Britannia, 99th 'Demon' Emperor of Britannia, had been assassinated recently, at least by his own perception of time it was recent. By Suzaku's hand he was slain, pierced just below the heart to maximize the suffering. Lelouch acknowledged the dark assumption in his mind that his dear childhood friend aimed at the point as sweet vengeance for his princess Euphemia's death. Unlike before where the prince would be shocked and tremble in unwilling acceptance, he was no longer the old Lelouch. He was a new one; He which had tasted defeat, loss, and betrayal after betrayal, and merely laughed to his own wretched soul.

"However…" The young man's voice had rang out in C's world and continued, "It was a perfectly acceptable wager." A cruel smile habitually formed for no one but himself to see.

In any old casino match, Lelouch himself would never pay such a price. However, it was something he had no control over, thus he chose it. There was no point in wagering anymore for the outcome of a peaceful world. A world where Nunnally would live happily, and yet Euphemia and Shirley never had the chance to catch a glimpse of such a world.

"All tasks at hand were clear." murmured Lelouch as he came back to. The man was correct, nothing else was left but to set it straight. The world didn't need him, and he didn't need it. Those that were casualties in his conquest in this world.

Swerving his head, his eyes upon both the world and some of the inhabitants within it. He smiled when he saw Nunnally was doing her job well. Her kind hearted nature masked her blood, Royal blood. The blood he and his sister Cornelia shared. She would do fine.

His gaze passed over Ohgi and the rest. Lelouch felt bittersweet about them; The Black Knights he formed had betrayed him with the power of Schneizel's silver tongue. Hmph, of course, the prince never tried to refute them in any way. It was better to have let it be, he consoled himself within his mind.

Toudoh… well, his and Xingke were the more intelligent of the bunch. Despite not informing them, they had figured his plan all on their own. It took them a few months, but by the first anniversary of his death, the two of them had shared a drink by his grave that had been secretly erected at the old Kururugi Shrine. What had truly surprised him was when Tamaki was there as well. He guessed he had underestimated the Minister of Sanitary Duties. He should have promoted the trusting fool before he was gone.

The sight of an anniversary party consisting of the majority of the student council and his loyal knight, Gottwald warmed his heart. Fireworks were set to the side as everyone enjoyed a well cooked dinner on the roof of Ashford Academy. It didn't need mentioned how each person he knew had moved on, happy with the world. In fact he eagerly accepted the blame of the massacre princess onto him when both Suzaku and Cornelia announced it. It was true after all, his geass was to blame for it all.

"Enjoying the fruits of your labor?"

Lelouch's eyes stopped at the form of a young woman in front of him. She was a frail looking thing, with a simple airy white gown. Purple and black hair bellowed in the windless space of C's World. Unlike others, Lelouch knew of her. He met her in fact right after he died. The supervisor of the Collective Unconsciousness she said, and the avatar of his judge.

"True peace, a Utopia was never the goal, but rather a chance, an opportunity to facilitate such peace." Spoke out the violet eyed man, his face set in stone, ready for an announcement before he asked, "My fate has been decided?"

Like before when he had faced his own father; Masks had appeared around him, encompassing all that he could see. These millions of masks were his jury and judge. They had accounted his life in it's entirety, from the days in Aries Villa to his transmission inside Damocles. However unlike before, these masks appeared with forms, bare illusions of the person it represented.

Lelouch grimaced as he backed off when the right and left hand sides of the Dimensional Supervisor were his regrets; Clovis, Euphie and Shirley. In his mind, he screamed at why they smiled in such a way. Did they not fault him for his deeds?

"Lelouch..." Euphie's form had her frowning towards him before Clovis interrupted her, "Brother, you are man to be loved, scorned, and pitied. I'd have loved to capture you in my paintings."

"Clovis"

He continued after he was let to take charge, "Tis only fair that your true first kill would have the honor to speak, brother." His voice was a gust of summer during a snowstorm. It was warm, so much warmer than Lelouch had expected of him.

Clovis chuckled, amused at the face his younger half-brother. Since the prince died back in Shinjuku, his half-brother's road of blood led the revolutionary to smiling less and less. A man for the ends no matter the means. However even for watching Lelouch during life and when he stood alone in C's World, he and the rest never had the chance to speak to the former Emperor. Of course, the only time he and Euphie would have the chance to converse was going to be when Lelouch left for his fate.

"The Zero Requiem was a catalyst to create a better world, you will be rewarded."

All of a sudden a table had appeared in front of him. Hard, beautiful Bocote, lacquered just enough to keep the rare piece safe from being damaged from the elements. It was tall up to his waist; simple yet elegant as the craftsmen focused purely on the material.

"Your sins as dictated by humanity's culture is vast, you will be punished."

The man shot an eyebrow as the table rotted and decayed, scared pieces of the table broke and burned marks appeared all round it, covering every inch with ash. Was this a kind of metaphor?

"And for saving us, Lelouch Vi Britannia will be given his just gift." The Supervisor raised her hand, holding a pair of six-sided die. Crafted from pure marble, how Lelouch knew, he couldn't fathom yet. But he took the dice handed to him.

A mask unveiled a perfect form of Kusakabe, the JLF commander during the hostage situation long when the Black Knights made their debut. He sneered out for all to hear, "If I had my way, you'd be gone, far into your own rendition of a personal hell."

"As much as I want to hate you with all my being, Lelouch, I could not when I watched your plans unraveled before the world to see. Even now; no one truly knows." Joseph Fenette came forward, defending the boy who lead the man's daughter to her very demise. His face contorted into an ugly mix as though he could not figure out if he should be saddened or excited. "We could not deign a suitable or even a half-assed judgement upon you. For once in a thousand millennia, the vote was split even down the middle."

Before anyone else of those he would recognize showed themselves, Lelouch played and tossed the dice around his hand. A smirk naturally formed in front of his jury.

"So you decided for me to what? Roll for it?"

"You have always lived a life next to danger. Seducing luck as if she was your bitch. Pardon me for not recognizing you when we first met. My Prince." The Black King rested his back on the table. Despite it's poor condition, it held strong under the weight. The nobleman had a wide, crazy eyed look to him, a smirk just the same as Lelouch's appeared in his face. "But I thought it be fitting if you were willing to gamble once more."

The former Emperor looked down at his dice. What was wrong with a little fun now that he was no longer needed? He winded his arm, aiming for the table as he spoke out, "Card counting, angle shooting, fake hands, and dice control; I have always been an advantage player Black King. I believe I make my own luck; I have done this in casinos, and I have done this in war. If lady luck exists, she was already mine the moment I won my first match in chess. This will not change. Just as Luck is mine, let us see if Fate will be claimed by me as well."

Upon his throw, the dice bumped and crashed on each and every crevice of the table. No one, not even an expert dice controller could tell what the result would be. As C's World waited with the metaphorical bated breath. The dice had stopped on a two. The snake eyes.

The corner of the supervisor's mouth twitched just a little. All the masks of C's World scowled and the world itself howled across the distance of space. The Black King laughed, kneeling down to steady himself lest he fall, whilst Kusakabe was held back by C's World itself when he had tried to unsheathe an imaginary blade out of thin air.

From within Lelouch's very being, he felt a heavy tug pull on him. Pain overflowed his senses; It was as if Suzaku had stabbed him again all the while succumbing to the dark human brutality of continuing the act, over and over. He stumbled, using the table as a crutch. This wasn't right, Kusakabe was angered. This couldn't have been his punishment.

Before he had the capability to ask, the Supervisor raised both her hands, wisps of energy flowed like ribbons, ending at where the former emperor's heart should be. Lelouch could barely hear as his eyes blurred, words echoing all around him.

"For your judgment; Lelouch Vi Britannia, 99th Emperor of the Imperial Throne, Savior of C's World, Destroyer of the Sword of Akasha, offender of Genocide, Regicide, Patricide, Matricide and founder of Zero." She paused as an orb formed from the ribbons in the Supervisor's hands, chains appeared all around the form of Lelouch, reaching up towards the sky. He shakily raised his head as his eyes glowed a symbol of a crane in flight. He felt blood drip down his mouth. As he wiped it with his hand to inspect it, it was no longer red, but a glowing blue essence.

The forms of all he knew disappeared from his sight. The last he ever saw was Euphemia continuing the judgment with a pitiful smile, "You will be erased from the entity of C's World entirely. Your name, life, and history is to be edited from all of humanity's' consciousness and unconsciousness. You are now exiled from C's World; no longer contained, constrained or claimed by humanity. You no longer exist."

* * *

As unexpected as it is. Lelouch is dead. This is post judgement Lelouch. Did you enjoy the monologues?

Chapter 1: 1,936 words

Next Update: 11/25/2017


	2. Chapter 2

Ehh, Yeah. I got this up early. Oh well. It's fine. Get ready for some crack chapters before the main event.

* * *

From all around the world, Humanity had not ceased in celebration. Parades and festivals kept going as no human could recognize words and letters on the banners and ribbons being thrown about were evaporating. Changing into different words and sentences. The 'Anniversary of the Demon' became 'When the world was brought to peace'. Within the very minds of all humans and the dictionary books of the world's languages, 'Lelouch' was removed.

It was no longer a word.

On the rooftop of Ashford academy, Jeremiah Gottwald stumbled, knocking over a folding chair. The rest of the party goers, as small a group as they were, looked on in concern. He grasped the railings of the school for dear life as his cybernetic eye spazzed out of his control while Anya and Gino attempted to help him up. Sparks of electricity jumped onto the two knights, shocking them back from touching the man.

"~My my~" The frisky voice of Dr. Lloyd Asplund came out as he sauntered towards the kneeling cyborg. Everyone had stepped back to allow the man closer; however, as he was within arms reach, the electricity discharged from within Jeremiah's body increased in power. The jolly demeanor from before instantly switched into the man that was only previously seen back when Nina Einstein brought out her prototype FLEIJA. The scientist spoke out in an eerie tone, "Does this have anything to do with my memories changing?"

Most if not everyone there had immediately raised their hands to their head. They had tried to recall what the former Earl had meant. Memories? What did he mean? All of their faculties were in order and shape. They were finally celebrating after an entire year of bringing the world to peace.

"So you can remember Lloyd?" The head of Jeremiah was brought up, struggling through the spasms that had come from his cybernetics. He wasn't the only man turning mad; Two separate memories of separate turns of events smashed upon his mind. Jeremiah grew enraged as he saw the image of his lord slowly turn to ash. He was Jeremiah Gottwald, Knight of Lelouch Vi Britannia and his loyal storm!

Before Lloyd could reach out for the knight, his assistant, Cecile held him back with an arm, interrupting the bizarre conversation, "What do you mean? Lloyd, we haven't lost any memories. The wars' ended, Prince Schneizel has been defeated and every nation joined the United Federation."

"Then why do I remember a certain king of-" The man's response was cut short by the feeling of a piercing needle reaching inwards to his brain. He quickly shoved the assistant, marching briskly closer to the knight. Words struggled out of his mouth, "If… If my theory is correct, and it usually is dear Cecile; The world is changing in real time as we know it. I for one don't want to see my dear Lancelot decommissioned by the UFN board of planetary security."

The people were confused. Lancelot? Decommissioned? Lloyd was talking nonsense! Lancelot was the weapon Suzaku Kururugi used to slay Schneizel atop of Damocles. Cecile had invented it… didn't she?

"What are you going on about, Earl of Pudding?"

The Earl smirked at his rival scientist as he laid his hand on Jeremiah's shoulder. He tightened his grip in pain as the electricity grew to cover his own body. "I'm saying 'take care', and for Cecile? Make sure to enjoy the fame coming your way."

Said assistant could not bring another word out her lips as energy swirled around the two by the railing. No person could even think about getting closer without being shocked to death. Nunnally Vi Britannia, 100th empress to the Britannian Imperial Throne looked onwards in melancholy. Whatever fool's endeavor these two madmen were doing should not take the others. However, before she could command them, the voices of the world had overwritten everyone there. They slowly forgotten the two men existed. In a flash of light they came to; Lloyd Asplund and Jeremiah Gottwald were nowhere to be found, not even ashes remained.

They returned to their party, unperturbed.

* * *

When Lelouch reawakened, he felt much lighter than he originally believed he was. Sounds and sight hit him with the full brunt a FLEIJA. Disoriented, he looked around, realizing he was floating in space. Everything was blurry, like water being constantly rippled by multiple rocks in a pond. Despite not feeling any sort of pain, he focused his eyes when he came across a pair of blurred forms.

He recognized them.

"Your Majesty, Jeremiah Gottwald is here with Earl Asplund." The voice of his knight came out from the form, readjusting itself to show the image of the knight. He looked much like before he became a cyborg. The electronic eye was gone and arm which used to hold a blade was replaced with flesh. Lloyd was beside him, but unlike the knight that was kneeling, the man watched everything around him with a childish awe. The scientist flexed his arms and tested to see if he was physical.

This lead to a fascinating discovery. Lelouch himself inspected himself and to his surprise, he was simply floating in space, a white-blue glow layered his form like a second skin and the other two humans had the same. He narrowed his eyes whilst commanded his knight to stand up, "Why are the two of you here?"

"Ahhh~ Is it not the 'why' but the 'what' we have become that is interesting to you, Your majesty?" A gleeful chuckle reverberated from Asplund as he floated around to his emperor's side. Jeremiah had done the same to the other, eyes with a watchful gaze out into the unknown.

"That can be answered later, Dr. Asplund. No doubt you already have an idea. My lord, during a celebration for the annual anniversary of your death, humans from all around the world had their memories being rewritten. Among those were your friends and family." Informed Jeremiah. He seemed unshaken by these new experiences. He continued as he focused on his lord and stowaway, "I felt that something dire had happened to you, even after death; and so I fought against the effects of the Geass."

"And thus you gave away your humanity in the process." Lelouch retorted, eyes moving to the still excited Earl. "What about you Lloyd?

The Scientist smirked and asked mockingly, imitating the voice of what was Zero long ago, "Do you abandon science to preserve your heart, or abandon your heart and sacrifice yourself to science? This was a question I had posed to little Nina not long ago. What would your answer be, Your majesty?"

"Both"

Lelouch's answer was responded with a solemn look from the Earl. He, himself saw that answer a mile away. "Sadly I'm not the great man that you are. So for now, I have chosen Science, but there are standards I put up. In the end, it can all be traced to that."

"Curiosity? Very well. I have no complaint for another passenger aboard by exile. Lloyd, do you have an explanation as to what we are?"

Even when in space, where sound could not be heard, Lloyd clapped slowly. Both Lelouch and his knight could feel and hear the reverberating effects and sounds of clapping. The scientist enthusiastically hollered, "A ha~ Congratulations Your Majesty. We or rather you have done something no human has ever done before. **WE ARE BEYOND HUMAN COMPREHENSION!** "

"Specifics Lloyd, if you please." Lelouch could feel a migraine coming along. Both annoyance and thankfulness entered his mindscape. Annoyed at the scientist's antics, much like Rakshata, but thankful he didn't have to be entirely alone to lead into quite possible madness. He added quickly, "I am no longer your Emperor. My name shall suffice."

He and Jeremiah watched the Earl raise a hand and from what they could see, was a sliver of energy swirling, contorting outwards into a small ribbon. The Earl continued to play with it before they noticed small pieces of space rock float around his hand. Jeremiah gaped at the phenomenon.

"This is just a working theory but, I believe we've transformed into beings made of pure energy. What type of energy, I haven't the foggiest idea, however; Notice that I can now pull acts of telekinesis and well, you know we can see, breathe and hear in space."

The knight without preamble, tried to touch the rocks with a hand. It felt smooth to the touch, cold and so surreal. The teenager himself put a finger to his chin and asked, "Does this mean we are a second C's World?"

"That I'm not sure, not unless I can document this and study it. However I believe we have become something similar to C's World, yes."

Seemingly out of nowhere, Lelouch began to chuckle until it looked like he cried. He wiped the imaginary tears as he replied, "Quite the gamble. So I am to travel the vastness of space for all eternity? That's not so bad."

"Sire, Jeremiah Gottwald will fulfill my oath even post death. If you will have me." Said knight immediately kneeled before his liege. They might no longer be lord and servant anymore, but he was ever the dutiful knight.

Lloyd habitually fixed his glasses with a goofy smile. He wanted to get in on this as well. What wonders he might find being like this? He threw away his humanity after all. "Oho~ I would like to join as well. It's always been interesting following you around."

They would figure out the true extents of their abilities in the future, for now. It was best they moved on. As the leader voted by both Knight and Scientist, he picked a direction and the three started to move.

* * *

Chapter 2: 1,630

Next Update: 5 Hours from now.


	3. Crack M

The first of two crack fics. I wonder if you can guess what the second one is.

* * *

 **Jace Beleren** , the living guildpact of Ravnica had felt a fluctuating energy on that plane one day. He had initially believed it to be a planeswalker; upon further investigation however, the energy and the act of moving from one plane to another was only similar. When he had reached Ravnica, he could easily trace the energy to a group of three men. They were not ghosts, as people of Ravnica could see and communicate with ghosts. This tugged his inner curiosity. But Jace was a planeswalker; He knew these were not normal people. They weren't even planeswalkers like himself.

He tried to inspect them, read their minds. He found very little in fact. Something had blocked him from looking inwards, like a door that could never be opened. He sighed, the three were not what he expected. The scholar in him wouldn't think twice as a professor in his home plane of Vyrn was floating all around, inspecting every piece of architecture and magic artifice while the soldier simply stood guard over the much younger looking entity.

After the few hours of surveilling them, they seemed to be tourists of some kind, and so, the only best way to obtain information was to contact them.

* * *

 **Ravnica**. A beautiful cityscape which consisted of a patchwork from grand halls, decrepit slums and ancient ruins, lain upon layers and layers of stonework. When they first arrived at this city, Lloyd jumped for joy, relishing in its architectural work. He claimed it to be an ecumenopolis: a city which covered an entire world.

At first when they traveled, Lelouch had no true guideline on where or how fast they could go. They simply picked a direction and 'walked'. When Ravnica appeared before them, they were floating outside of the planet's gravity well. The lights and energy coming from the planet made their resident scholar curious, and so they decided a break was in order.

What truly surprised them was when a being of that world realized they existed came forward.

Even in a non-physical form, the winds from Ravnica glided across Lelouch's skin, giving him a cool, refreshing sensation. The smells of fresh bread baking in a nearby store wafted into the former emperor's nose; it seemed once he became more or less than human, his five major senses had increased tenfold whenever he desired it.

As he sat by a chair at a local cafe, Jeremiah had not changed in his habits as he hovered over him much like a statue from the side. Lloyd on the other hand immediately left the moment they realized they could sense each other from far away. Each of them had a distinct signature, even the people around them were unique, and not in the physical sense.

"Greetings outsiders" A voice had interrupted Lelouch's nostalgic and sublime thoughts on the cup of tea he was sipping on. He raised a hand to stop Jeremiah from drawing a non physical sword from his waist and gestured for the first ever physical being to interact with them to sit. Lelouch knew at the very least the universe was full of surprises, and like any former leader of a kingdom and an organization, he knew he must show no signs outward, lest he lose the first game in politics.

The atmosphere was not as tense as he thought it would have been. Maybe it was because he felt there was no issue, or he was something no one could hurt. Either case, it didn't bode well for him. Losing fear was a step towards being overconfident. Lelouch was the first to start the conversation, "It's a surprise, you're the first to ever see us. Seems like introductions are at hand, my name is Lelouch and this is Jeremiah, my knight. The one walking around is Lloyd, pardon him, he's a scholar."

"I am Jace Beleren. I had noticed you appear on this plane and come to ask: What are you three? You are no Planeswalkers."

The boy crossed his hands as he responded, "That is a question I would like to know myself. However; you brought up something interesting. What is a planeswalker?"

"I made toast!"

Lloyd had jumped in at the most inopportune time. Unbeknownst to the people around them, he had been carrying a plate filled with different types of food, one of it was a slice of toast with a kind of jam. The purple haired man took a bite and a smile grew. "It has the consistency of apple jelly, but it tastes like caramel pudding!"

With a sigh, Lelouch took a snack once the plate was set down. It was indeed true, the jam-like substance tasted much like a caramel flan, usually called a pudding in the former Area Eleven. The scientist seemed to notice the subject of the conversation and sat back to join in, keeping the plate on food on the table.

"A planeswalker is a person, no matter the species, that has a latent power born within themselves. One of the abilities of a planeswalker is the ability to travel across the planes of the multiverse." Jace paused when the trio were in rapt attention. They seemed to thinking, trying to consider if they were planeswalkers. He quickly added something which dashed their theories, "Ravnica has a mighty ability which rejects all planeswalkers from entering it's world, except a few."

"A ha~ So you came here because you believed us to be Planeswalkers yet realized if we were, we wouldn't even be here." Lloyd's statement was met with a nod. Energy swirled around the palm of Jace Beleren before he dissipated it. It was a show of both his power and what the abilities of a planeswalker could be.

"Correct Mr. Lloyd. I had tried to inspect you earlier to see if you were a planeswalker in disguise. You are not. You are something else. Something which possibly has the ability to planeswalk, yet are not ones yourselves."

Jeremiah quickly advised his lord at the table, "I believe a little give and take is in order, my lord? It might better allow everyone here to understand. Especially since Mr. Beleren here is the only one we have met before which can truly see us."

"I agree. I suggest a trade on information Mr. Beleren, no doubt there are others of these Planeswalkers you have mentioned before. Is it safe to assume not all of them are like you?"

"Then we have an accord. Please, tell me of how you came to be."

* * *

Lelouch watched Jace as he pondered over what information was given to him. The planewalker was quite open and forthright, a refreshing take from the many people he encountered back on his own home planet. Even if Jace might not have been human in the common sense, Lelouch believed himself to be a good judge of character. How else would he have given Lloyd a chance to both work with him leading up to the Zero Requiem and even now, letting him tag along. The scientist was much like Rakshata, a jolly scientist with quirks, ideals and goals most human would believe as fairy dust while hiding secrets themselves. It was the reason why he didn't press on why the Earl gave a non answer.

Affirming his decision, Lelouch was the first to speak out from the silence. "Now that you know; I hope to ask that you and other planeswalkers do not attempt to interfere with my home plane."

"Lelouch, despite my inherent disagreements with your methods and your life thus far, you have my respect and my condolences. A plane with what sounds to be a mana depleted land, I wouldn't know what exactly to do to bring peace in your place. I know what I would have done. However, that would require my magic, and if not, a long lifetime." Jace responded seriously. The man added a nod afterward as he continued, "Yes I will agree to your desire for non-interference. Unless the mana within your Plane increases or another Planeswalker comes along to alter it, I and the Planeswalkers of Gatewatch will not disturb your home. You have my word."

This kind of answer made the former emperor bow in respect. It gave the boy a kind of solace or fulfillment, even repentance as he knew he was bringing good to his home even after death. Jeremiah and even Lloyd gave a small smile as the room was filled with a comfortable silence.

"Onto a topic lads~" The jovial voice of Lloyd broke through as he clapped to break away the silence. He quickly asserted himself in front of the planeswalker's view before he continued, "Your travel mechanic. Could I get specifics on how it's done? All we've done is move together as one."

The Planeswalker thought it over, trying to find the correct words to say as three sets of eyes were firmly on him. He struggled to form a coherent sentence, "Planeswalking itself for those with the spark is quite easy. The true difficulty is finding the correct place to go as the multiverse doesn't necessarily have a map, or at least one that could be understood. Every second of eternity, planes will travel and change places with one another as new planes appear over time."

"Yggdrasil."

Jeremiah raised an eyebrow at the Earl's interruption. He chastised the man softly, "Pardon me Lloyd?"

"Yggdrasil, commonly known as the world tree by Earth folklore, originating in the Nordic or Germanic tribes of humans. The Chinese have legends similar to it, in fact I think all cultures of our 'Plane' as a legend of a multiverse, mostly depicted by some tree or plant."

Jace agreed with the cheery scholar with a nod. He realized the idea of relating the Multiverse to a plant was a good one and continued with that in mind, "That, Mr. Lloyd is aptly put. The multiverse is like your Yggdrasil, it is a plant that will continue to grow and grow until eventually it will die and grow once again. The branches are never at the same spot and the flowers rearrange itself as it sees fit."

"So how do you Planeswalkers know exactly where you're going and how to get back?" The knight quickly asked, confused on how a person could find their way in a maze such as Planeswalking.

Jace answered in a difficult manner. Average people wouldn't have the ability to see and effect the planes as Planeswalkers could and deigned to explain as best as he could. Hopefully it would help the three get a grasp upon their own abilities, "That is both much harder and easier to explain. Each Plane has a distinct mana or energy signature, unique to them and them only. Once a Planeswalker is able to tap into their spark, they have much more control over it. Then they are able to recognize each plane by their signature. The energies of every plane is out there to see, and as such, each planeswalker can read the energy of said plane before they leave for it."

"I'm assuming the energies do not give you a specific read on what kind of plane it could be, much more like a set of coordinates instead of a hole in the wall."

The Planeswalker nodded in agreement to the knight adding in his own thoughts, "You are correct Mr. Gottwald. Thankfully each and every Planeswalker, for better or for worse, are much more resilient than the average person. Non-Planeswalkers will require complex machines or spells to even attempt to jump Planes."

"Leading them to a gamble on what Plane they will end up. I understand." The voice of Lelouch rang out from the explanation. It had taken him a while to firmly grasp the possibly ground breaking theories. If they were still back home, this information would have given Earth a huge boom in science. "But this doesn't explain us."

"You are correct. I believe You three may have been born with the spark, that is rare. Those with sparks are considered a one-in-a-million chance, and those that have activated their spark are even rarer. However since you died and what I believe to be your Nexus or mind world of your plane exiled you, they forced your spark to awaken. This made you Planeswalkers in ability only, as you are neither ghosts or a planeswalker, you do not have the indicators of a person with an activated spark."

The originally quiet scientist hummed a happy tune before proposing his own question, "A working theory. It's highly possible and what you say could even be remotely true, but how can we tell if we can't tap into the energies of the multiverse?"

Believing this may help the three and eventually be a good idea to gain new allies for the future; Jace answered with his own question, "Would you like me to tutor you?

* * *

 _ **Crack Stats:**_

 **Lelouch**  
Dimir  
Mana Basis: Swamp, Island  
Battle Type: Manipulation of the Battlefield and Opponent's Controls

 **Jeremiah**  
Boros  
Mana Basis: Plane, Mountain  
Battle Type: Constant Army Battle and Long Range Burn

 **Lloyd**  
Izzet  
Mana Basis: Island, Mountain  
Battle Type: Artifact Creation and Usage, Manipulation of Mana Pool

Crack Chapter: 2,212  
Next Update: 11/25/17


	4. Crack N

The Palace of Westminster in London, United Kingdom. It was an interesting place to say the least; A moderate palace built over the previous one's ruins after a burning some decades ago. The water of River Thames was sparkling under the glow of the moonlight as both Lelouch and his aides stood on the well manicured landscapes of the **Original Homeland**. Lelouch could only chuckle to himself as he stood on the land of his forefathers. Or at least a roundabout relation to forefathers.

" _The Homeland_ " Jeremiah had murmured in almost reverence. It seemed that the blue blood within him sang as he took in London's sights. Lelouch himself couldn't put a finger on it however; He could understand why his knight was acting in such a way. The land almost sang at his presense the moment they first appeared on this world. Perhaps London itself knew her prodigal son had returned. The former monarch shook his head away from those musings, he wasn't the first king of Britain. He was simply the last.

The boy noticed their quirky scientist had a glossy look to his eyes before a frown appeared on his face. "Well, we're done with sentimentalism right? Can we go? This place's tech level is soo boring. It's lower then ours! No Knightmares around, and I can't even feel mana!"

"There must be some-"

"Oooh, Yorkshire puddings, I wonder what those taste like." Just like that, Lloyd's voice grew softer as he ran off into some pub.

The man's eccentricities no longer bothered the two anymore. Maybe it was their new form, or they themselves were obtaining quirks of their own. Neither really mattered since they finally had a firm grasp on their traveling mechanics. It took some odd few years and a tutorship, but they could understand more and more of their abilities. They could differentiate each Plane now, regardless if they knew exactly what the differences entailed.

This Plane was one out of many successful jumps. At it's core, it was a simplistic Plane which felt as though the universe was much smaller than it should be. Their senses could only feel the milky way as once they tried to go further beyond, the other parts of the universe were fake, like a photo taken for the purposes of lining wallpaper. This kind of universe unnerved the teen; He didn't like being out of the loop. He supposed it was his original paranoia back home, keeping secrets yet trying to reveal everyone else's.

Within the corner of Lelouch's eyes came a spark of white light. Incandescent even when compared with the moonlight. From the light came a figure. The former monarch no longer felt surprised at the previously impossibility and, as such he was simply curious. The figure took the form of a girl. Flowing platinum blonde hair swayed from her head as luminescent green eyes stared, trying to pierce into the form of two entities. Beings of which shouldn't exist.

As the girl moved steadily towards them, Lelouch gestured for his knight to not make any sudden moves. Jeremiah complied and stepped back to allow the girl to stop right in front of his liege. No words were spoken, no gestures or indications lead to any outcome, however as quick as lightning she gave Lelouch a chaste kiss.

Contrary to what the average man might have done when surprised by a kiss, Lelouch simply let it happen. The decision lead to prove it was a good one once he realized the girl was giving him information. Images, texts, and movies played out from within the teen's mind as he recognized they were recordings, like moving history.

Unlike what Lelouch expected, once the transfer of information proved to be finished, or at least as much as the girl wanted to give him, the kiss had kept going. Even as he was no longer a being that required oxygen, the habit of wanting it called out in his mind once he realized they had been kissing for half an hour.

The girl seemed to realize what he was thinking about and slowly pulled back. She pulled off a cute little smile before slapping his dumbfounded look, vanishing with a holler that sounded like a 'thank you'.

"Don't expect _**me** _to kiss you." Before the former emperor could even take a glimpse, another smack echoed in the night. Both sides of his face stung from the impact. His eyes opened to see no one but his knight and scientist; both were sitting on a bench as they munched on some puffy pastry, looking as if they were enjoying some show.

Lloyd was the first to chime, mouth full of food, "Our king is a real lady killer~"

"I-I apologize, my lord. Neither woman seemed to be threatening."

Lelouch was red from embarrassment. If either man knew who or what they were, they'd stay and ask all around for more, maybe even look for magic conclaves in this plane. Let alone try to stop those two by force. His ears registered the bumbling Lloyd spoke out. "Ooohwa~ Looked like you had a nice moment there."

"We're leaving."

The other two, specifically Lloyd cried in protest as the King phased the three out. The women were observable proof that something interesting was in this Plane. Magic? Technology? Psychics? Thanks to the first woman's information; Lelouch learned that they were being protected by those two in case multiple Lloyds without morals would appear just to Code-R them. Explanations were in order.

As much as he might want to get his face sucked again… He didn't want to play word games with **Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg** any time soon.

* * *

Crack Stats: No Ranks for any Personal Skills Cuz... why?

 **Lelouch Vi Britannia  
** Class: Savior, Avenger, Ruler, Launcher  
Strength: E  
Endurance: E  
Agility: D  
Magical Power: B  
Luck: C

Noble Phantasm: ?

Class Skills: Avenger, Authority of the Ruler, Pioneer of the Stars, Mystic Eyes, Counter Hero, Independent Action, Independent Manifestation, Riding, Territory Creation, Subversive Activities, Strategy, Advice of the Strategist, Command of the Strategist, Charisma, Connection to the Root, Demon King, Discerning Eyes, Disengage, Enlightenment of the Sacred Fig, Eye of the Mind

 **Jeremiah Gottwald  
** Class: Rider, Saber, Archer, Launcher  
Strength: C+  
Endurance: B+  
Agility: B+  
Magical Power: D  
Luck: B++

Noble Phantasm: ?

Class Skills: Mystic Eyes, Counter Hero, Independent Action, Magic Resistance, Riding, Battle Continuation, Bravery, Bulletproof Treatment, Clairvoyance, Discernment of the Poor, Disengage, Eternal Arms Mastership

 **Lloyd Asplund  
** Class: Caster, Launcher, Unclassed  
Strength: D  
Endurance: D  
Agility: D  
Magical Power: B  
Luck: C++

Noble Phantasm: ?

Class Skills: Pioneer of the Stars, Territory Creation, Independent Action, Item Construction, Presence Concealment, Riding, Calm and Collected, Charisma of an Evil Genius, Natural Born Genius, Conceptual Improvement, Discernment of the Poor, Eye of the Mind

* * *

Crack N: 1,139 for lols

Next Update: Within a few hours


	5. Chapter 3

**An actual chapter this time.**

* * *

Far from the deep reaches of space came a flash of light. This light was a formed into a ripple with its energy before disappearing and leaving behind three beings. These beings were semi vitreous, with humanoid shapes of two arms, two legs and a head. Each being had floated and took in their surroundings. They had done this too often now to be surprised anymore.

Floating in space was no longer something for Lelouch to panic. The first time he was in space occurred when he had woken up with Jeremiah and Lloyd in front of him. How long have they been traveling? The former monarch wasn't quite so sure. Time no longer felt constant to them as they did not age; They didn't even need the basic necessities for a human to survive anymore. They simply existed.

"Ahoy maties~" Lloyd chimed up through the vastness of space. If the scientist had time or equipment, he might one day pull an answer to how or why they could hear in a vacuum. For now, both King and Knight gave the Earl their attention as said Earl pointed 45 degrees up.

Whatever the Earl wanted them to see could not be seen by the naked eye as it was millions of kilometers away. Lelouch had to resort to exuding his metaphysical presence outwards to notice.

"A ship." Jeremiah stated as his liege took a detailed look at it.

Indeed, the knight was correct. Lelouch should no longer be surprised at this point. Life did not end, progress would never stop even when a society would reach it's precipice on their home planet. Space was the true final frontier.

"It's not active. Do you believe it to be a derelict, Dr. Lloyd?" The younger of the three asked as he raised an eyebrow.

Lelouch wondered if he should have even asked such a question. The creator of the Yggdrasil drive and the first seventh generation Knightmare was an enthusiastic mind. Throughout the months of having the man under his employ while he was alive, the Earl was a major contributor to his ever growing stacks of paperwork. 'No one saw the genius within me like you did', he would say.

Just as the Earl acted as if he was a cat that got the canary, he clapped his hands together and responded, "Righto~ No way it'd just stand there."

"We could take it for ourselves, my lord. Every other instance of spaceships we had come across were already in use." Jeremiah spoke the truth. Many a times in this specific plane, they had come across countless civilizations, 50% of them whom gained access to the great beyond. Lelouch wondered if there was something special about this universe. Or was it that they haven't gotten used to the roadmap. The boy quickly shook musings away and thought 'why not' as he pointed towards the derelict ship.

"Alright, We'll go investigate. About time we change the pace."

* * *

Lloyd poked and prodded some floating oblong machinery with a semi physical finger. Some time ago, they had tested and played with their new abilities; One of which allowed them to become partially material, able to interact with the worlds around them. They had even tested if the world around them could affect the three. At the moment, they were invulnerable. However, that didn't mean Lelouch wanted to get close to a space singularity anytime soon, as much to the chagrin of the Earl as he mused for the rest to hear, "Oooh~ heavily defended for a derelict."

Mine shaped orbs simply moved according to old Newtonian physics. They floated in a direction of where the Earl pushed them, clangs sounded off in the vacuum of space. To the average man, this should be impossible.

As they truly got closer to the ship the mines floated around, the three finally realized the sheer massive scope of the derelict. Jeremiah could only breathe out in awe, "It's half the size of the Damocles, but it's soo well rounded."

Lelouch could only nod in agreement. The ship was a massive vessel, oblong yet flat in shape, much like a warrior's gauntlet from the old days. Odd dips and curves situated the sides of the vessel as the front looked as if it had a smiling mouth. The ship now had taken their purview and Jeremiah personally floated around the ship, top to bottom, side to side, hoping to find a hatch or a door of some kind. He quickly returned, relaying that he found nothing.

"How strange." Lelouch mused out loud. It was most peculiar, Even a submarine would have at least a hatch for crew members to come aboard. How else would one command a ship? He quickly gestured for the Earl to speak up his thoughts. No doubt the man already had theories.

Lloyd allowed himself to keep in eyesight for the other two as he ran a finger down the ship's hull. A smirk appeared on his face as he replied, "I wonder if it was built to be autonomous." The man quickly phased into the ship without any warning as Lelouch and Jeremiah rushed forward to where they last saw the scientist.

"Ah-Ha!" Even when they flinched in surprise and realized nothing could truly scare them anymore, Lloyd jumped out from the ship with a scream. He was quickly given a half-hearted glare as he gestured for the other two to follow. "What are you two waiting for?"

Jeremiah waved his hand for the boy to go first. With a nod, Lelouch followed the scientist through the ship. As he looked around, the former emperor could not make heads or tails as he gazed at all of the wires and circuitry before they reached a small little room. As Jeremiah was the last to come in, Lelouch took a gander at what they were dealing with.

"How spartan." Murmured the knight while he inspected the area. Lelouch had to agree. Austere was another way to put it; The room had a single metallic chair encompassed by a table with small control panels and keyboards. Aside from that single chair, everything was completely empty. No doors or standing stations for crew members, not even a storage container.

As the earl informed the two of his plans to phase around the ship, Lelouch took a seat at the only desk in the room. Despite their non-physical forms, he did like the creature comforts no matter how rough it was. Jeremiah thinking he had nothing else to do, stood by his lord as a knight of his decorum should, regardless of the lord's disagreement.

Lelouch could tell the room was sealed shut as he chose to breathe the stale air. It seemed at the very least, the ship hadn't been operated for quite some time. With nothing to do, the boy tried to figure out if there was any way to turn the ship on from where he was.

"Now we're getting somewhere." The teen said as a press of a button made the table light up. A faint hum rang from behind them, most likely the power generator. Lelouch mused that Lloyd would handle that. As quickly as any Knightmare startup, holograms appeared in front of him, indicating various words and sentences he could not understand.

Jeremiah inspected the lines of letters and spoke, "It seems we need to decipher the language before we can claim it as our own."

As Lelouch slowly used the keyboards to search and look around the windows in the holograms, he could make out faint patterns and common quirks, hinting some kind of coding language. Let it be known he was skilled in the art of computer hacking, how else could have taken over various military installations and public CCTVs if he couldn't? He realized Lloyd would have been a more opportune user however, the man was most likely toying with everything mechanical instead.

"Incredible…" The standing knight uttered as a hologram lit up, showing a 3 dimensional map. The center of this map had a polygonal image of the ship they were inside, while lights dotted the surrounding area. Each dot, green in color, started to move in patterns, varying in speed from each other. Lelouch commanded the knight to look outside.

When he came back in, he responded in a hurried tone, "They aren't mines at all, my lord."

"Autonomous fighters of some kind. Drones to a hive if I were to make a guess." Lloyd replied as he phased into what Lelouch personally dubbed, 'The Command Room'. He had a giddy look on his face as if he won a jackpot on slots.

Lelouch got off the chair, handing it over to the earl as he responded, "An educated one, Dr. Asplund. However." The boy paused as he felt some probing energy poke and prod at him. The other two looked on in oddity, feeling and seeing nothing as he shook his head and refused the connection. He continued while giving Jeremiah an order, "We need the engines running and a destination before we can do anything substantial. Jeremiah, scout the area. I want a solar system, preferably with an asteroid field."

"It shall be done, My lord"

* * *

When Jeremiah had returned, Lelouch was already outside the ship, inspecting the various drones move around and about. They quickly stopped into the hatches and pods encompassing the vessel. The knight went to his lord's side and relayed his findings. "Sire, I found a few systems within a few lightyears. One in particular seems adequate."

"Good, once Lloyd gets a translation system ready, we can move." replied the boy. When the pods were safely enclosed by the panels of the massive ship, they returned to see the Scientist looking over the holograms. Fingers danced across the various keyboards as lines of code were being rewritten. The man greeted the two as a holographic map came into view. It was large enough to encompass the entire room. High quality as well, Lelouch thought.

"Ahh~ It's been soo long since I got something to tinker with."

Lelouch encircled the map as it showed their current location. It also showed them a map of the surrounding area, as far as a few hundred light years. Dots in a yellow-orange color were scattered around the map as they blinked in a slow tone. After he pressed a dot with his fingers, Lelouch could see the translation matrix was working smoothly as it showed the general layout of a solar system with a theorized star type.

Without preamble, Jeremiah searched up for the solar system he deemed adequate for their needs. He stopped at a star the ship indicated around eight lightyears away. Thankfully, Lloyd informed them a lightyear in the ship's terms was almost equal to a lightyear in their terms.

It was a small solar system of two planets encircling a star, while an asteroid field and a gas giant were along the outer reaches. Lelouch looked over to his knight and applauded him, "Nice work."

"Can we get there, Lloyd?" asked the leader of the trio. The response was a simple joyous laugh added with a few keyboard presses. Within an instant the ship groaned and waned as a tear in the fabric of space and time appeared in front of them. The ship then dashed into the hole, disappearing.

* * *

Off in a distant land, or a completely new galaxy all together was a simple little diner. From the outside, it was nothing more than a white void. One could never see where it began or where it ended. From the inside it showed a picturesque eating establishment from the old 1920's, and within this diner the fare consisted of any dish in the universe and bottomless coffee.

The diner wasn't empty. In fact, many diners came and went slowly but busily. The diner itself was jam packed, filled with patrons of different shapes and sizes. Everyone of these diners, even the cook and the waitress, Oma Desala, had a set of newspapers in front of them.

 _ **The Ascended Times**_

 _ **BREAKING NEWS: TRIO OF UNKNOWNS!**_

 **Galaxy DFP 79 - Gold, Gold, Gold!** It seems that all of the Astral Plane has struck its first true gold mine since they had came to understand the essence of Ascension. Just yesterday, or was it today that a set of a great trinity from beyond the ascended have come and grace our universe with their glow? The time no longer matters, however; What truly gives every ascended a chance to lick their lips is when realizing they were a much higher rank than they had previously believed!

Let's give ourselves a rundown again shall we? Life everlasting, truth, pure enlightenment, and absolute knowledge. These are the benefits one obtains when they have fully become ascended. However, does this truly mean the Ascended have reached the pinnacle of their evolution? Is this all there is to know and understand?

Just when you know it all, a real head scratcher appears and brings out your curiosity once more. "Nay" Said one ascended from the planet of EQ-419, also known by the tiny specks of dust that is Earth. That was what he had said before leaving the astral plane altogether, saying he had reached the next stage of ascension.

For many eons, other Ascended had tried to follow the man that no longer has a name, and yet none have succeeded. Before long, many ascended dissidents refused to believe they were merely on the road instead of being at the finish line.

It seems that we have all thought, _wrong_. We must all watch these trio and see what they hope to do. NOTICE for all Ascended that wish to continue handling and controlling the balance or policing their fellow Ascended. You have no jurisdiction over these three and most likely, you can't even affect them. How Exciting!

* * *

Tried my best to make the Ascended Newspaper as tabloidy as possible. It was how the original canon papers were like when Daniel took a look at it so.

 **Chapter 3** : 2,313

 **Next Update** : 12/9/17


	6. Chapter 4

Lelouch was grateful, for the ship had cameras which connected to the walls of the command room. He and Jeremiah had stared towards the star of the solar system which they had just reached. It was just as Jeremiah had described, two planets, an asteroid field, and a gas giant.

A ping from the computers rang as images of the two planets appeared in front of them. After verifying it with the scientist, he found that both were filled with water. While one seemed to look as if it was entirely made up of liquid, the other had land masses varying in size close to one another. The teen put a hand to his chin as he mused, "Does the planet have life?"

Lloyd responded, as he kept his eyes on the holograms over by the station at the back of the room. He passed over the various documents and readings from the ship before he explained, "The ship can only tell life based on a certain level of technology. Anything before the industrial age, like gunpowder or primitive life won't be detected."

"The ship reads planets by how much energy is displaced. This planet, is showing nothing. Nada, nil~" The scientist spun and danced around the station as he got closer to the two. A cat's grin emerged from his face as he continued, "You'd have to check it for yourself, my lord."

"Lelouch thought for a moment, weighing the possibility of influencing life which was not theirs. Should he? After all that he had done in his previous life, be a part of something once again? Shouldn't he stand back and watch the lives of others come and go because of their own choices? Did he have the right after Euphemia and Suzaku?

"My lord?" Jeremiah's voice broke the mulling of his king's thoughts. As the boy turn around, he saw the restrained concern of his knight and the analyzing gaze of the scientist, nonjudgmental. He'd have to speak with each of them at length in the future.

"With a sigh, Lelouch looked down at the floor of the command room and spoke out with determination, "For now, we must learn all there is when it comes to this new acquisition of ours. At this moment, we would not be ready. I want a base of operations and a firm grasp of our assets before we move forward.

Ah-ha~ I'll get to make some laptops with whatever is on hand then. Maybe get some factual data logs." The scientist skipped over to the command chair as he spoke. Quick as before, fingers danced over the keyboards as holograms switched and jumped from screen to screen./span/span/p

"Jeremiah nodded before he phased out of the ship. His voice broke out before he was gone, "I'll scout the surrounding solar system. I'll find a location to set up base."

"Good. Lloyd, may I have a see at those drones?"

* * *

"Catherine..." The lady in question, Catherine Langford looked up at the voice of her would be husband, Ernest Littlefield. Music was being played and sung over in the main room of the Colson Estates. The couple had come to a banquet at the behest of the woman's father. Ernest called over his significant other outside at a balcony. She could see the pond over the edge and as she turned to him.

Ernest was wearing a standard tuxedo for a black tie event and he was looking at her with a hard face as he spoke, "I wanted to tell you personally before it happens. I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch, however the possibility is... up there."

"Well? What did you want to talk about?" asked the woman. She took a glance around to see if anyone was close to them. Her father was seen further in, talking to Mr. Colson. His company had just started to become more and more influential since the war. "Now that my father isn't here."

Ernest's enthusiasm was one of the main factors as why Catherine became smitten with him. That curiosity, drive and passion was what lead to them even meeting. He smiled before being out the news, "We're going to try out the new method in using the device. If my theory that it's not a weapon is correct. A door will open."

"Ernest, You can't be saying-" Her assumption was interrupted by a nod. The man's tried his best to stop grinning, knowing full well what she was implying. He couldn't stop it. As radical as it was, she couldn't blame him. Who else but the man himself to try his own experiments. The temptation was too strong.

"I just want to tell you. If the door does open, I will be going through. I'm… sorry Catherine."

The woman had so many emotions in her heart. What could she do? Should she stop the man she loved from partaking his dream? In the end, he was his own man and he was allowed to make his own choices. She couldn't stop him, it was how he infected her with a drive herself in learning. In a resigned smile, she could only look at him and give him a kiss for good luck.

"Then come back. Even if it takes fifty years, I'll be waiting."

* * *

Constant electronic pings echoed around the command room of the ship Lelouch and his team recently acquired. The former emperor looked over to the other resident of the room, he ignored the disassembled drones wired to a makeshift laptop. He was hoping to reprogram or at least understand the logic and methods of the aliens when they created their software.

Lloyd Asplund kept his eyes on the holographic screens as the ship moved in an ever slow pace, relatively speaking as Jeremiah found an uninhabited moon off the gas giant, after scanning with the ship; The three deemed it acceptable for their up and coming base.

"Naquadah, how interesting of an element this universe has. It does lot of the same functions as Sakuradite back in our home, and more." Lloyd babbled over the technical and chemical compounds of whatever the ship had and what was logged. He giggled like a schoolgirl as he opened the next two windows, "Trinium, I bet it does wonders if I get to fuse it with our carbon based material used on knightmares. Ahahaha~ Naquadria would be the play-maker for a new Yggdrasil Drive! Even if it's not naturally occurring of course."

"Lloyd."

The scientist didn't seem to notice he was being called. He seemed to be in his own little world where science was what mattered, as he played with the chair while reading. "Neutronium is this universe's hat-trick~"

"Lloyd!" This time the Earl had noticed and turned his head to the former emperor. It took quite a while to get the man out of his 'zone' and he kept his usual smile as he was paying attention. Lelouch set his tools down before continuing, "Why was it that you had chosen to join us?"

With a tilt of his head, Lloyd acted coy as he kept a finger to his chin, responding, "~Why?"

"Last I remember since my death, you and your assistant were exonerated. This was including Nina as the official story would be you all were made to work under Charles and I under duress. The blame would not fall under you, your life would have yours to live as you saw fit."

"The Earl's response at first was a mere slow clap. The man studied his liege since the usurpation of the Britannian throne; He was always curious since the appearance of Zero and he understood something once he worked for him. The Emperor was intelligent, and not the book type either. He knew the boy wouldn't let his original answer lie for long.

"Do I give my heart in the pursuit of science? Or do I forsake science to keep my heart? I asked myself that question long ago, back when I was still at the Imperial Colchester Institute."

Lelouch only raised an eyebrow, gesturing him to continue. They seemed to have plenty of time as the ship itself was automated to land on a level plain. Neither Lelouch or the scientist needed to do anything as the computers set parameters for the ship to get within distance from the moon.

"Did you know Rakshata and I were in a joint venture back at the Institute?" asked the scientist. The leader shook his head, recalling neither Rakshata or anyone in her science team during his tenure as Zero had spoken about personal affairs. He may have taken background checks and looked for information, but a man or woman's personal life was their own. In hindsight maybe some things could have been prevented if he had, but he let sleeping dogs lie.

"To put it simply; The two of us had researched and planned for the designs of cybernetics. She focused on the biological aspects and reduced the rate of biomechanic rejections in the event of once an actual volunteer would step up for them."

Lelouch was getting a grasp on the picture. He wondered why any documents and published works didn't have his name. Curious, he interrupted and asked, "I assume you were set on the mechanical parts? The cybernetics themselves, prosthetics even?

"Oh-ah~ You got it right in one!" The jovial voice was quickly replaced as he switched to a more sordid continuation, he seemed to reminisce over his past as he walked towards the viewport of the room. "Legs. Prosthetic legs were the first of a long list of cybernetics that I designed and made. I stopped once I finished a pair of eyes and rushed towards figuring out a way to get the human body to use it. Limbs would be of no use if the body couldn't use them for their intended function."

The man paused once a particular memory came to him. He grimaced out his unusual emotions and explained, "I quickly took extra classes, read up on the human mind and designed my own way to interpret and utilize the brainwaves that everyone emits. It was either that, implant cranial enhancements or even link the nerve endings to the cybernetics themselves. I researched those too by the way, and figured out brainwaves would have been the best case scenario."

"What happened after your discovery?"

" **The pudding incident** as they call it." Lelouch watched the man turn towards him as he spoke out with unrestrained vitriol before letting it all go with an unclenched fist. "My designs, my notes, even the legs I made were taken from me. All my work, gone."

Lelouch thought over the man's words and laughed bitterly at the irony in it, behind every inventor was a patron. If the patron no longer wanted it, it would be cancelled. If another patron wanted it for himself, simply take it. "So politics, greed and human nature was always following science."

"I was never going to be exonerated, your majesty. I prefer not to wallow in retirement." said the man as the ship was lowering itself onto the moon. They could see a great vista of the gas giant to the right and the sun to the left. Lloyd snickered, "Before the UFN started deliberating on our involvement with you and prince Schneizel, I rewrote the official logs of the my work. The Lancelot; VARIS, Float system, Energy wings, Hadron technology and shielding was in my assistant's name. I made sure to take the FELIJA as my work."

The scientist could feel a sense of disbelief from his lord. The boy had no words to speak of; to throw away his name and future, all to change how the world viewed his colleagues, it was essentially putting himself on the chopping block. Lloyd quickly ended the conversion once they felt the landing gears touch the ground. "A scientist must be the martyr for the protege."

* * *

Chapter 4: 2,043  
Next Update: 12/16/17


	7. Chapter 5

Thanks to the powers of telekinesis and their non-material forms, Lelouch was able to stand beside the floating drones he had reprogrammed as Jeremiah moved countless amounts of rock and the ore that were recently mined by the drones. When the ship landed, Earl Asplund was hard at work in setting up a small laboratory with stripped down materials of said ship.

The teen looked back, he mused over what they had taken; A ship with militarized autonomous fighters, programmed to destroy all life which was not theirs. It was more than safe to assume whomever created these things perished by their own hands. The machines had no algorithm to tell what was friend and what was foe, aside from each other. Lelouch believed if they let the machines alone, they might one day reawaken and destroy everything in their path.

He had only reprogrammed around a bakers dozen of drones, each were commanded from a newly redesigned laptop all thanks to Lloyd. It was small, tablet sized even, much smaller than the ones he had used at his education in Ashford. Thinking back, the former emperor couldn't help but worry. Did their world turn out alright? Was peace still standing strong?

A crash and a scream from Lloyd a few meters away brought him back to reality. Turning around, Lelouch watched the scientist quake in his non-existent boots as wires and large pieces of machinery be stripped from the ship. Thankfully Lloyd's telekinesis was a great help, the boy calculated three or five whole knightmares wouldn't even remotely have the capacity to carry what Lloyd was doing himself.

"My lord?" As dutiful as when he was in life, Jeremiah was beside the boy within moments. He had forgone any salute and kneeling as decreed by his master.

Even while Lelouch protested any act of loyalty from the two companions they kept calling him their lord. The boy was at least grateful they stopped saluting. Somewhere in his mind, Lelouch believed they naturally pushed the ball of leadership to him. Why not? Lloyd only concerned himself of Science, Technology and Philosophy; While Jeremiah was a soldier, despite his original rank in nobility.

Not willing to leave his knight ignored, Lelouch reassured him, "It's alright, Jeremiah. This isn't something what I expected after dying but, it is original."

"Regardless my lord, it is better than what many have expected since man first died."

Lelouch studied the man in front of him. He had already resumed back to moving materials from the moon to a central loading zone for manufacturing. The boy wondered why he left his previous life to follow him, and so he asked, "Jeremiah, why did you follow me? Last I recall, I had set you for life."

The question earned a nod, and Jeremiah had a look of fulfillment on his face. He kept at work as the man replied, "Indeed. I managed to own an orange farm since your death. I also took Anya Alstreim in as she had never found a family. I could no longer stay as a Knight for Lady Nunnally; Lady Sayoko and the masked one had taken over that duty."

"You left her for me? Did you have anything else?"

Jeremiah bowed with his right hand over his heart. His voice came out resolved, honest and unwavering. "Sire, believe me. The Gottwald name has always been synonymous to Chivalry and Knighthood since Washington's Rebellion. Loyalty and Duty is all that we know. As a consequence of your denouncement of nobility, my family lost very little. However, the Gottwald family still supported you as they lost their title. I know it would honor my family to be your knight for however long this new life leads us."

"No children?" Lelouch asked in a befuddled expression. He did not remember all the roles and ancestry of each noble family; It was quaint to know some had stuck to the path they've always been. It even gave the boy slight confusion. Men and women after reaching a certain age within the nobility would end up being courted at the behest of their family. Jeremiah must have been at least his late twenties. He should have been already married with children on the way.

"Aside from Anya, who is like a daughter to me, I sent her to Lady Nunnally, hoping she would break out of her shell and grasp the bright future you gave her. I have no children, no beloved, and no true friend since Villetta Nu's betrayal."

Something clicked. The boy smirked as he quipped back, voicing his thoughts, "A career knight. Heading off to new adventures, slaying dragons and bringing prosperity like the reign of King Arthur?"

It seemed the assumption was correct. Jeremiah could only clear his throat out in embarrassment. The man had nothing but his job and apparently he loved it. Now that they were no longer mortal in a sense, they had all the time in the universe. Lelouch could only laugh as he pointed a finger to him.

"I think I'll make it a hobby to order you to save a princess one day." joked the boy. The knight sputtered, protesting at the mere possibility he would try and imitate the original knights of the round.

Both men quickly stopped the banter as above them dozens of hyperspace wormholes appeared in a green swirl. From each spike of energy, ships emerged. Each one was nearly identical to the ship they had taken for themselves. They made no aggressive moves, in fact they each systematically moved closer towards where they were staying and set themselves to land. Lelouch could only think of one person responsible.

 _ **"LLOYD!"**_

The scientist in question raised both his hands in celebration. A wide eyed grin came from his face as he laughed, "Ahahahaha~ Yes, your majesty?!"

"Explain! I count at least fifty more ships exactly like this one orbiting around us." screamed Lelouch as he dashed across the distance towards his scientist, Jeremiah right beside him. This was way more than they bargained for. Who knows what life out there could be still around, searching and investigating these ships. This stunt lead every society right to them!

"There are fifty _nine_ ships, my lord." Lloyd corrected with a high pitch note when the nine was spoken. He lifted a hand to placate the boy as he gestured them to a workstation. The scientist was hard at work, setting a laboratory with tables, workstations and various parts of the ship strewn about. "Oh~ don't get your knickers in a twist, This is a good thing!"

Looking at where Lloyd suggested, both men raised an eyebrow. The workstation had lines of coding being strewn all about as another window was filled with ships logs from presumably the other ships. Having some coding experience himself, Lelouch read over the entries and lines before he spoke out in realization, "They all activated the moment ours was turned on."

"Hip hip hooray~ I had reports being sent to and fro periodically the moment we landed." the scientist congratulated with a nod.

There was reasonable cause to control them then. Lelouch could see the possibilities with an armada of ships just like this one. Aside from the firepower, it was free labor from mindless drones under their command. Lloyd could have ample materials for his experiments, and no doubt the already pre-made alloys and machinery they could use.

Jeremiah was quick to see the bigger picture, he understood the cause and effect of leaving the ships unattended, since they were at fault in awakening them. "I assume you took them all here in case they went along and tried to destroy everything?"

Lloyd nodded more and more vigorously as he knew he was getting closer to having more toys to play with. Without signs of guilt he waited for an answer to an unspoken question. _'Can we keep these?'_

"No doubt all this tearing into space and time for them to get here made an impact on anyone with the capability to notice us. Were they followed?" Lelouch's question came out in a somber tone. If anything were to happen, they weren't prepared. Of course, if any species advanced enough to follow them would show, all of the 59 ships under their command would attack simultaneously. This would only work if they had an inkling of their own capabilities; If they knew nothing of their enemies and nothing of themselves, they will always be lain in defeat.

The Earl was given some time to think about it. He had read a little on what the ships logs had and he knew everything from their home universe was merely scientific theory. Thus he shook his head in a thinking posture as he answered, "Based on my knowledge so far, I'd say 'following' a ship through the same hyperspace window is impossible. However, the ship does have sensors that read faster than light windows."

"So it's much like a radar, nothing more."

Jeremiah's remark was quickly interjected while Lelouch thought intently, setting plans for the immediate future. They needed to move quickly, a foundation needed to be set up before unexpected obstacles be thrown their way, "This has hastened our time frame considerably. I believe we need roles as we continue onwards. I will handle designing, schematics and start into reading up on space warfare." He turned to the two other and set his commands.

"Jeremiah, sadly there's nothing that currently requires the expertise of a knight." The man deflated at his words, but understood there was little to do in their situation. He quickly perked up as he was commanded to help in administration. "You will be helping me and be in charge of drones, manufacturing, and the protection of this solar system. We're neighbors to what might be alien life on those planets, primitive life. I want them safe for as long as we're living here."

With a salute, Jeremiah quickly went to gather the materials necessary for his duties. "Yes, your majesty."

"Lloyd… You know what to do." The moment the words left the former monarch's lips, his quirky scientist jumped and crashed into the opened up ship. Sounds of metal creaked as tools shot out of the ship. Lelouch quickly added, "I want reports! You hear me?!"

A crazed laugh afterwards were the only indication of him listening.

"I want things run by me before you might accidentally turn this gas giant into another star!"

A quip was heard, _**"Stellification is still theoretical!"**_

"I don't want it becoming true anytime soon!"

* * *

Chapter 5: 1,771

Next Update: 12/23/2017


	8. Chapter 6

**Following this Chapter, Aetherious Mortem will be on a hiatus. Life has come and is stressing me out alot. I will post new chapters when things cool down or I get out of a Writer's block. I have everything planned, but the details are eluding me. Anyhow, If anyone got ideas or were reinvigorated in Code Geass Fics about a post Lelouch or a Lelouch regardless since Season 3 announcement. I say, have at it. In fact, Chapter 1 of this fic can basically go anywhere. And I mean a** _nywhere_ **because the gambling aspect of his fate. If you want to use it or hell, word for word use my first chapter except or his snake eyes or something, HAVE AT IT. I won't be pissed.**

 **Enjoy for now.**

* * *

This was an off day for Lloyd. The maddening scientist had nothing to do; He already reprogrammed two hundred thousand drones that came off all sixty control ships that they had taken over.

He recalled the machines separated themselves into four groups. The largest were a size of a fighter jet, 25 empirical meters, shaped in a oval diamond shape. Lloyd clearly believed they were the main force, combat fighters which were used as assault and defensive craft. What do you do with fifty thousand war machines and no war to use them on? The crafts only had one intended function, thus around ten thousand were handed to Jeremiah while a majority of them were set offline.

The second largest craft type were 10 empirical meters in length. These were the workhorse of the team. They could pull machinery, scan objects and especially, mine for ore. Lloyd was especially happy the moment they came across the life savers.

' _It's not fair! ~I mean really~ I get exotic technology and I have to build a lab myself before I get to play? boo~'_

Support and Repair where the last two classifications. They shared the same chassis, but the two differed greatly. They were the smallest at a meter in size, however they were the backbone of any autonomous system. Lloyd could only wipe nonexistent sweat off his brow when he figured it out.

 _'Automation aho~ No work all play!'_

It took him a few hours, the quickest he had ever taken to understand the intricacies of foreign technology. Lloyd could only scoff at the designs. Great as they may be, everything used the coding and written language as a crutch. Crack the code, and they had the keys to the armory. Not that there was much to crack. The system itself was bare-bones, whatever civilization which created these machines must have rushed their work. They didn't even use much of a written language!

Lloyd shook his head as he gripped his chin with a hand. He already sent his reports to his majesty Lelouch about the machines, and programmed the drones to do menial labor. Mining for various ore, regardless of what it was; Naquadah, Trinium, Naquadria and Neutronium were the priority, the two planets were excused from mining activities by order of said lord. Average materials had to be used by stripping various parts of the ships to create a few buildings or so based on his and the lord's designs, and anything in between.

There wasn't much to do aside from waiting. Anything which truly were of import needed the laboratory first and foremost. Material creation needed a refinery at least. They had nothing! No energy output, communications array, sensors, infrastructure, nothing! Of course Lloyd and the rest no longer needed the basics necessities of nourishment and sleep, but they enjoyed them! He was already cranky for not eating any pudding, not to mention the lack of a garden and a pipe for the daily smoke of tobacco. The man could only sit around and wait whilst everything be ready, a severe problem for the man. What could he do?

An idea came to him. A bright smile struck out from his face when there was a way to alleviate his boredom as well as invigorate his mind.

 _'Bird Watching'_

Of course, when he meant 'bird watching,' it meant he was going to study the inhabitants of the world in the solar system they were using. It was a prime moment, to watch and learn of how life was like before the use paper, the renaissance and maybe even agriculture.

How did these people live day to day? What did they do to keep themselves occupied? Did they even have sports?

Giddy about the opportunity, Lloyd used some of his power to transmute a fallen tree into a set of journals. It simply had to be documented. When the conversion of matter down to the atomic level was finished, he kept them floating around his body. He looked over himself and realized he never really made a fully visible form, none of them have. He quickly fixed that, making him into a form he was most comfortable with.

He looked much like he did in life, pale skin covered by a set of semi-formal clothes he'd always wore when he was alive. A white lab coat was on him as usual while thin framed glasses rested on his nose. Aside from the permanent shining aura around his form which he hoped no one could see; He spent hours perfecting a method to conceal it after all.

As Lloyd flew over the mountain ridges and deep caverns of the planet, Lloyd took notes sparingly. It wasn't until his eyes caught the sight of a group of tents built and held together farther away than a 'village' some meters away. The noted how the village was also a little close to many more villages, each one about half a day's travel from one place to the other if he had to guess.

Curious, the scientist kept on writing notes as he got closer, crossing the flimsy barrier of cloth and fur into the tent. Inside were rudimentary stations for healing. Hard, comfortless bedding with a multitude of people resting. No healer was around and Lloyd wasn't going to call one of these healers a doctor for quite obvious reasons.

When he walked up to a corner, he noticed the aliens weren't all the same. He asked himself, not caring who listened in or not, "Sub-races? Or is it separate species living on the same world?"

Each alien was slightly different. Lloyd jotted notes and observations about the aliens as well as to why they were in essentially a medical room. All of the patients were inflicted by the same disease. Regardless if the humans with animal tails and extra sets of ears, the ones which looked like elves from his fantasy movies from the old days or even the partially scaled humans, they all seemed to have the same symptoms. Lloyd believed it was all caused by one factor, Malnutrition.

"It is winter outside." The man stated as he looked over the beings. Ribs could be seen through their skin as the chests raised and lowered so shallowly. His lord never said not to interfere with aliens on a small scale, and he did want some samples of DNA to study these creatures. They were of course, fascinating.

The man kept his journals floating behind him as his hand glowed brighter with the same aura as his body. The forms of the aliens flickered before everyone began breathing in a more relaxed fashion. Lloyd quickly floated out with a grin and some samples.

Unbeknownst to him, his actions were watched by some if not many of the sick aliens that were saved.

* * *

Darkness, sprinkled with bright lights far and in between. Clouds of nearly every color of the light grouped together far off in in tiny little specks. Nebulas filled with newly born stars lasted almost forever as Jeremiah gazed off in contemplation. The knight kept a steady course, patrolling the solar system as his drones were at standby mode. Even when he believed there would be nothing to disturb the planets below, he was steadfast in his duty to his lord.

The knight went off into the planet filled with greenery and life. He made sure to stay undetected as he flew over mountains and tall forests, taking in the view. It was a long time since they saw or even experienced something familiar. The man remembered back when he was a child, he would be taken to the woods with his father and his father before him to camp out, far away from the buzz of court life. His first experience with hunting was then, even though he surely missed. It was then that he learned he took a liking to classical marksmanship.

A cry out in the distance broke him out of his reminiscence. With a dash in speed he quickly reached where it was coming from. The man found a bow and quiver when he landed on the grass in the middle of a forest. Jeremiah inspected the surroundings; The bow was well maintained, old wood faded around the edges as gashes at the grip showed signs of use.

Taking the items before him, he thought it would be best if he were forced to act, he'd use mundane methods lest he create misunderstandings. An arrow from an unknown savior was paramount to a lightning strike from would be 'gods'. He was not that arrogant.

A sounds of animals and exhaustion pointed the knight towards the right direction. He chose to run, keeping any would-be spectators to believe him as nothing more than a strange hunter. His form kept a regal image of a knight or a warrior unarmored as he reached the a grouping of woodlands. The light of the moon that shimmered out in the darkness would have been noted as a peaceful scene, if the sight of a young child wrestling with some wild predator wasn't there.

"Young." Jeremiah whispered to himself. The child look to be only a dozen years old if he had to use his own kind as a base for age. He watched the child make a valiant effort in keeping the beast away as they swatted fang and claw with a branch, backing up until they met the trunk of a tree. The knight grimaced once the child broke concentration and allowed a jaw to wrest the branch from their hand.

Jeremiah struggled in letting a arrow loose as words of his lord played back in his mind. Since while alive, his lord always commanded slaves with a grimace and loathed his part as the tyrant, ruling above others like a god. Even now, when chances of a mere possibility to enthralling these primitives were a profitable option, his lord hesitated. Sadly, the man's instincts had overridden the hesitance when it seemed the creature had a pack laying in the shadows. Two more of the same creature joined as they all circled the child.

Resolved in his duty to his lord and his own conscious, Jeremiah aimed, nocked, and fired his arrows in quick succession. It was praiseworthy to know his past experiences didn't lose it's touch as each beast fell with an arrow to the skull. Maybe his lord no longer desired himself a king. Maybe his lord no longer believed himself worthy as he broke his own core tenants: Alive, yet 'only those who should kill are those who should be prepared to be killed.'

He sauntered closer towards the small child. Wide, yellow colored eyes watched him in awe and a gaping mouth were noted as he unholstered the quiver he found and laid it with the bow near said child. A faint ephemeral glow poured out from him, he slowly disappeared into smoke and vapor as he gave a warning, "Let this one thorn be a wilderness of lessons, Child."

 _'Change will not come to those who don't make it happen.'_ Jeremiah was his lord's Knight. He was a knight of Justice, and what knight would he be if he had let that child die?

* * *

Oma Desala The name resounded within Lelouch's mind as he noticed a presence slowly appear before him. The boy decided not to move from his post, any attempt in a sudden move would have incurred weakness, instinct. Something no doubt this 'Oma Desala' might deem as a card to use in later events.

Fear would not work, as anger and blind attacks would not suffice. If this Oma Desala had appeared before him now, with such silence and anonymity, what else could this creature have that overpowered what little resources he possessed?

As such, Lelouch did what anyone of his upbringing and experience would do. Smirk, turn his head nonchalantly, and begin the grand game. "I am Lelouch Lamperouge. What might brought you out to come to this little abode?"

The creature itself looked much like a pulsating glimmer of energy taken form. No doubt if Lloyd were here, he'd be ecstatic. Oma Desala quickly give her energy shape, a middle aged woman, so human in design and looks. Could 'she' have been human once?

Such assumptions made Lelouch tense. Could this universe have a C's world as well? Were there others like him which were banished off from the collective, left to travel the cosmos forevermore? Those thoughts were quickly put away once the woman spoke up.

"We have tried to read you, see how you are able to ascend even further than we could."

Ascend? Further than they could? Such a small revelation impacted him solely more than he could believe. Lelouch's mind quickly logged and tagged those words, her terms for safe keeping. He would research on this later, but for now he quickly formed a response.

A mask slowly fit after years of practice, "Do not expect such answers from me."

"Knowledge and understanding must come by oneself. Not another, we understand." Oma Desala quipped with a sigh as she walked across the base the former emperor and his aides created. A practiced eye scanned every detail and note lain about. She quickly spoke out, "Such a keen understanding that one must learn begs the question, 'Why do you influence these lesser beings?"

From out of the darkness of space, Oma Desala conjured a glassy window. It depicted images of Lloyd and Jeremiah on the unknown planet. It showed Lloyd's incessant curiosity of the alien beings and, Jeremiah's encounter with the classical bow and arrow quivers. Lelouch himself raised an eyebrow once his knight hesitated before baring down arrows, saving a young child alien and leaving in such a spectacular way. He should use that method in the future.

"We value the beliefs and self determination of those lesser." Oma clarified just in case.

Lelouch understood. For what purpose would interfering do, other than the stroke of one's ego and the feeling of godhood? He understood perfectly for he himself had done so before. Back when he was emperor and once again when he was Zero. Playing a game of chess made of the people which believed in him. To do so again was replaying his past, or even imitate the gods of ancient Greece.

Yet he learned, he experienced why one should. Medicine was poison once taken too much after all. CC had done this when she chose for one contract over VV's many. To guide and teach when needed, A student must learn from a master, not just by one's self.

But this created a much larger issue, a larger problem once he realized behind his mask of cordiality. Would it not be the height of arrogance to refuse interference itself when one believes in free will? It would be hubris itself to believe oneself beyond another's understanding, beliefs, and even hardships. Such hypocrisy did not leave even those that left human comprehension.

It dawned on him the possibilities of his own world. Myths, folklore and legends of his own history books spoke of those interfering where some humans thought to be miracles. Did Odin and Zeus interfere in an attempt to guide with a push and yet humans refused from their ways? Such a thought gave the emperor a smirk. To lay claim on lesser beings, to teach and shield them like father to son. If only his own had done so back in his own world.

He quickly rebutted, smirk never leaving his face, "And your own free will?"

Oma simply nodded with a resigned smile. Lelouch chose not push and she was secretly graceful.

The silent music of space played a beautiful tune for the both of them, the star of the solar system briefly passed their gaze. Lelouch could only think and mull over his possibilities, however; He felt hesitance, self doubt once plans were designed. Something within him believed, maybe this was what his own ancestors felt when they started to create the kingdom of Britannia. Almost one hundred generations of rulership over their empire and yet at the very beginning, the very first king should have felt much like this.

There was a difference between him and them. Unlike the kings before, they did not have the possible infinite lifetimes he had to rule. He had history on his side, and he would learn from them, yet an immortal wise man was as influential as an immortal tyrant. Life was more than just a recollection of memories however; He understood from deep within that he was just like his ancestor before him. Even his own father had done this when he was squeezing out whatever little power he had as Zero. Rationalization, making excuses to allow him to look forward. He had done so even as a child, when he waded through a sea of blood with his sister on his shoulders. As Suzaku cried all the way, he persevered. Hindsight was indeed 20/20.

 **"If possible, would you allow me to lay claim on these lesser beings?"**

* * *

Faehran was a land which all the tribes called their home. Life slowly began to bud from the valley of Vinan Frawr, spring had finally come after a harsh winter of blizzards and snow. The valley was neutral ground to the clans of Faehran, used as a meeting point to discuss seasonal outgoings, news, trade and information. It was also used as a diplomatic meeting spot, to allow the clans to peacefully discuss. A truce was kept in effect for many years until the winter they had just braved through.

At first it began with a lack of warmth and fire. One clan simply did not have enough fur to trade or even gift. This had led to a succession of raids between tribes, stealing whatever food and warmth to allow themselves to survive the winter. Clan leaders gave orders with a heavy heart to pillage yet resist killing. Bloodshed would lead to war, and war in the snow would have countless deaths.

Shamans, the respected yet unimportant members of the tribes divined through stone and warned, _'The spirits and gods would be angered if blood was to be spilled.'_ The leaders thought poppycock and fantasy. How could they let their people starve when ripe fruit laid just beyond their villages? They believed the shamans to be lying, attempting to give false hope with some message of the spirits, _'Endeavor, for your future will be bright.'_

The people's first sign of lords above them came from a healers congregation, far yet close to all the tribes. The sick and bedridden had come out, full with life and happiness. They claimed a spirit from above walked in from the tents and cured their sickness. The villages were ecstatic.

A spirit of a man not like any they had ever seen, with grey hair and a tome of knowledge floating like magic around him. Despite most not believing them, the Shamans named the spirit, ' _Loyd', Keeper of Lore, poison, disease and healing. The elder one of wisdom._

The second instance gave the leaders pause. A young girl had run off into the forest in an attempt to help her home. She stole her elder's hunting bow and rushed off into the wilderness. Many believed her to have died after a full day and night; She had not learned the skills and ways necessary to live off the land, coupled with her age of merely 10 cycles and the blizzard the night before, the tribe had mourned for her.

It wasn't until the third night that the little girl had come back, ragged and dirty, yet completely unharmed from the animals in the forests. By some magic of the spirits, three Derwells, beasts large and strong enough to take down an entire hunting party were her prize. The girl spoke of a spirit which saved her life and left a bow and quiver with the prey to her. A man with striking eyes, so similar to the lunar wolvargs which were feared by many hunters.

The child could not remember the wise words of the spirit, yet the Shaman's were truly in admiration. _'Maya'_ they proclaimed as the name was remembered by many tribes as to call that spirit. _Lord of Nature and master to the young._ The tribes feasted and shared the spoils with the many around them, all began to learn more about the spirits the shamans spoke of.

By the last encounter with a spirit, many had already taken them as nurturers and teachers until a shaman and a leader of a tribe themselves spoke with each other before their seasonal council. The last of the spirits looked as if he was a young man, but the shaman warned it was merely an illusion. The spirit wore great flowing robes and stood in a powerful stance, much like a leader himself. They watched as the spirit inspected the leader's tent and simply left with words of guidance.

 _'Rouge', Lord of spirits and the arbiter of leaders._ Once spring came to, no one dared to cause harm and bloodshed. Their sick, cured from deadly famine and bellies filled to the brim with food. Inevitably, they started to believe.

Gods were guiding them.


	9. Depression and Denial

**I'm Sorry. I'm having horrible moments of writer's Block. I'm trying but this is all I can give you. It's not much and I don't think it will satiate you. Working on RLV still, but it's hard. Damn you Fingers!**

 **Aetherious Mortem Ch 7**

* * *

"Hmm"

A hum inside of a white, pristine laboratory broke the silence of space. Lloyd Asplund looked far out into a distance towards an image no one but him could see. His eyes closed and a hand raised to touch his chin.

"Hmmmm"

The scientist strained to figure out what was wrong. Something was remiss in this lifestyle he brought himself into. The feeling nagged at him for weeks now, and he had yet to figure out the cause. Everything was perfect, if not nearly so; Foreign technology and science at the very grasp under his fingertips, new mysteries to solve in an unknown universe, all the resources and time a mortal man could never have, and a wonderful view outside the lab windows.

"Hmmmmmm"

Lloyd furrowed his brow even further. There was definitely something wrong all the same. As much as a chore making reports tended to be, that wasn't the problem. He couldn't put his finger on it but, there was something important missing. A long hum played out around his lab as he opened his eyes, meeting the cyan haired knight, Jeremiah.

The man backed up when Lloyd leaned forward in almost a maniacal realization. A wide grin formed, the brain behind it connecting the dots to identify his nagging problem. Jeremiah had no chance of evading the wayward scientist.

The knight surrendered posthaste, knowing if he ran, the scientist would not stop. Nor was there reason to, both had all the time in the universe. Literally.

 **"Hee~"**

By the time the two men walked along the hallways, Lloyd perked up in excitement. Using a finger, he drew on the frost covered transparent walls of the building as they walked. He hummed a little tune as they passed an air vent and rubbed his hands together sinisterly when they reached the doorway of their lord's office.

The violet eyed monarch sat on top a luxurious chair with a wide desk, facing the windows of the room. His back was towards them, an unusual position compared to the ones he took in his previous life. He hadn't changed much, his physical form stayed true to his former existence, with his old emperor's robes minus the ridiculously poofy hat in Lloyd's opinion. He smothered an inside joke when the boy didn't even notice the two from entering, opting to gaze out into the distance.

Lloyd put a hand on the knights shoulder, stopping the man from walking up and cut short a building sentence. The scientist gave scandalous look as he gestured to give him an ear. With the point of a finger he said, "What's wrong with this picture?"

It earned a raised brow followed by a glare directed at him. Lloyd pouted. "So you really don't know~"

"Know what, Lloyd?"

He snickered. "Ahh, now it wouldn't be fun if I just told you. Would it?"

Jeremiah kept a growl low to make sure not to disturb their lord. The man infuriated him further as he kept giggling. "This is no time for games."

"This is the _**perfect** _time~" Lloyd said with a smile. Without warning, he walked softly towards the former emperor with a finger up his mouth, a gesture for the knight to wait. His walk didn't put any attempt into hiding himself, a forward moving, straight laced satire of a march. Yet Lelouch didn't even register him.

A grin grew much larger than usual on Lloyd's face, hands wrung together before he spoke, a purposeful crack in his voice. "Ah~ Construction to the base finished recently, and a large surface area of the moon's been dug out for our fleet hanger."

"Mmm" A noncommittal grunt was heard.

"I've installed a second reactor core as backup for power generation from two dismantled ships out of sixty to learn how they tick."

"Mmm."

"The agricultural and habitat areas are fully operational. Might I be allowed to obtain samples of the planet currently still in tribal control?"

"Mmm."

This interaction went on as the gases of a nebula formed at the corner of their viewing window. Not once did Lelouch turn his head or move his eyes to indicate he was listening. The armrests of the chair were fully occupied in a loose fashion, as were his crossed legs. No movement of reports appeared on the holographic table; the boy king just stared out into the depths of the abyss as Lloyd rambled on and on, covering possible scientific theories that could make head ways back home.

Hands from the lavender haired man went to and fro, gestured to entice the grandiose ideas of inventions the man wanted to work on. Nothing came of it. Nothing but the occasional sound, the illusion of attention as Jeremiah stood by the doorway, still as a statue.

By the time Lloyd walked back to the knight, the former monarch opened a visual feed from various miniature drones from reused materials of the decommissioned ones. He watched with unblinking eyes. No one could tell what Lelouch was thinking, and so even Jeremiah decided not to walk in for his time to speak.

"His Majesty…"

"Ohh~ Ahh~ You finally noticed?" A fistful of the scientist's lab coat pulled into the knight's hand. A firm glare did nothing but make him smile, even more as the two moved far away from the office.

"Speak with answers, Lloyd. His majesty is…." Words failed to leave Jeremiah's mouth as he tightened his grip further. He widened his eyes in shock, his grip slacked and he uttered, **"Emperor Charles."**

"Aha~ Right you are!" Lloyd said with a pointed finger before he straightened himself. "No doubt the peacefulness of our situation has made the boy fall into a rut. We need him back on his feet, or energy tendrils, what have you."

"And what do you get out of this? You've never been as…." The situation made the knight fumble again until he admitted, "This, when you were back home. In fact, I expected you to use this for all it's worth. Leaving me in the dark and his majesty looking back into his mind for millennia, us none the wiser."

"Aww~ You wound me Jerry!" A little miffed at the knight crossing his arms made him cross his own as he wagged his finger. Lloyd spoke, "I thought you'd get it. You are a knight after all."

The man continued after a moment of silence between the two. He clapped his hands together while he joked, "A scientist does his work with the utmost confidence that his findings would be utilized by others. Maybe not at the moment, or even months from the day he perfectly creates a blueprint for a prototype Knightmare, but for when years in the future when the science is needed, _**wanted**_. A Knight."

"Well I don't have to explain to you what a knight does."

The cyan haired man grunted. "Enlighten me."

"A knight," Lloyd said, twirling into a charade. "A knight is a warrior which devotes his private and professional life in the servitude of his lord. A soldier which fights for the cause of his superior or beliefs to bring a brighter future which is devised by said lord. Zero's knights were soldiers which fought for the justice and the destruction of those that unethically lorded over beneath them, a symbol of those below him. A symbol to strive for."

The scientist asked, "Tell me, What's missing here?"

"Our Lord."

"And the people. **Congratulations!** " Lloyd responded, an applause echoed through the hallways as the two walked around the base. They stopped once the engineering and manufacturing hangers were in full view. The scientist used the back of his fist to knock a partially dismantled ship as he continued. A metallic clang sounded off while more drones took bits and pieces away. "Charlie was quite demanding for an emperor despite his detachment in court. Schnitzel-"

" _ **Schneizel**_ "

The knight's correction was denied, Lloyd wagged his finger with a pout and said with his lower jaw jutted out, voice changing to imitate the former prince, " _ **Schnitzel** _was of the complaining lot. Everything; from the dinner banquets with the EU, to the progress of both the Gawain and the Lancelot. The man complained every step of the way. 'Why's all this money being used on just a rifle. I have to take all of my devicer candidates off the list because your stupid machine is a wild horse!' You get the idea."

"Now out of all these demanders, these constituents of an inventor, who gets to use these toys?" The man shrugged and poked Jeremiah right in the chest with a boop. He answered, "You. And of course the people."

Lloyd screeched into a complaint, "What am I supposed to do if my motivation is gone?! Make science papers? Who's gonna read em? You? You don't even have a degree under your belt!"

"Are you implying I'm stupid?" Jeremiah warned dangerously.

 _ **"It's boring!"**_ Wailed the scientist, both hands on Jeremiah's shoulder, a vein throbbed under the man's brow.

"What do you expect me to do?!"

Jeremiah gulped the moment he heard a gasp emit from the scientist. The man lab coat wearing man jumped in joy, both hands clapped together and said, "You're volunteering?! Fantastic! Hip-Hip Hooray~"

"What did I just talk myself into?"

Lloyd pushed the knight, feet reluctant from moving to far outside the hangers. With a pat on the back and a quick button press, the hanger doors closed slowly between the two. He snickered, "Great things, Jerry. Great things. I remember you ran a farm back when we were 'mortal'? How about you get his majesty on something productive?"

"Would that help?"

"Oh~ You just don't get it~" A flick of a switch on a wrist device and holograms appeared on top. A loading screen activated as Lloyd continued, "You don't have to do much~ Lulu will get the rest!"

"Oi~ Lloyd!"

"It's never too late to earn your PhD!" With a maniacal laugh, the scientist opened up the hangar bays after a quick depressurized procedure. His screen blipped a message.

 **Drones Activated...**

 **Combat Units: One Thousand**

 **Industry Units: Fifty Thousand**

 **Support Units: Fifty Thousand**

 **Maintenance Units: Fifty Thousand**

 **Awaiting Input...**

"Ahahahahaha! Boys and Girls! Let's get to Strip Mining!" Lloyd said. His legs moved forward and back in a jolly skip while one of the motherships hummed into life, the reactor inside spinning into action.

"I have a target number in mind. How about….. **Fifty Thousand Imperial Tons** for each element to start?!"

* * *

0000

* * *

"My Lord?"

His eyes shifted to the form to his right. Lelouch sighed, leaning back on his chair still having not moved yet.

"What is it, Jeremiah?" Lelouch raised a brow, he'd never thought a man like Jeremiah to be so… apprehensive, at least; When he was, it was a long time ago.

The boy stared until the knight responded, hands wringing. "It's been awhile since we landed, and Lloyd suggested in making this place a bit… homier."

"Oh? Then why isn't he on it?"

He watched as that earned a stiff scratch on the back of the head, "Well, Lloyd might be a great scientist; The multiple degrees on physics, mechanical engineering, biology and various others put either of ours to shame; however, the man isn't well versed in your skills of decor, nor mine in agriculture."

With a scoff and a raise of a brow, Lelouch watched the man continue, "I believe it's up to us to set things to our taste. Considering our ever longer stay in this place, it would do good to set up the amenities. My lord, do you remember the last time you had a hot meal?"

"Jeremiah" His command forced said man to straighten himself, _**"What are we?"**_

"Beings of pure energy, my lord"

"And what do beings of energy eat?"

The man blinked in confusion. "Sire?"

"Nothing. We subsist on nothing. Our entire existence need of not food, or water, or even air. We are just… _**here**_." An old memory flashed in the center of his skull. A vast museum of pictures and videos from a bygone age. "It's…."

 _It's beneath us_

A crack and a sound of something wet permeated his ears. He focused his vision, and in the knight's hands were a piece of fruit. The smell of the multicolored botanic edible made him salivate, a mixture of durian and cantaloupe filled his nostrils. Jeremiah handed half to him and he tested its shape. Flesh inside was a firm green, seeds the size of his fingernail were shielded in the center, away from the rest and he took a bite.

"Wouldn't it be a waste to not enjoy ourselves? Time passes us by to the point time doesn't even exist. I doubt you'd want to stay bored forever. Who knows, It might give you a chance to take a swing at your old hobbies again, sire!"

 _Lulu, get me a hundred twenty eight grams of flour for the cake. Oh and the marinade should be done, put it in the oven would you?_

 _Yeah, yeah. You should have told me you had plans for a party, prez._

 _Reduce some wine for the second dish!_

 _Don't worry. It's safer to have me be in charge than Rivalz_

Lelouch rubbed the bridge of his nose with a free hand. The alien Quince as he dubbed based on the taste(most likely frosted beforehand) gradually turned orange, and a thought occurred to him from long ago.

 ** _"Guts"_**

Jeremiah backed up to watch him get off from his chair, and responded. "Pardon?"

"It's nothing Jeremiah." With a flick of his wrist, his emperor robes disappeared and was replaced by an English suit with a purple lapel. With a casual stride though the automatic door he asked, "What needs to be added in the base?"

"Might I suggest we head down to the planet and gather up some seeds for the farms?" The knight smiled and his joy was growing. The man followed slowly as his suggestion wasn't shot down.

"Let's start with that then. It's been a while since I've left this room" Lelouch's words caught the man in a daze, yet he didn't notice it. He walked away, his eyes never looked back.

 _Using that Guts! spell again, prez?_

"Yes sire. It's been..." Jeremiah turned to the room his lord stayed in and stared for a long time. Innumerable amounts of dust clouded around much like the nebula in space until they blanketed the room once more. The knight grimaced out a murmur as he drew a line, flicking the debris back into the four centimeter thick blanket, "...a long time"

* * *

 _Littlefield Log Entry #1_

 _7th Day_

 _I had decided to write in this journal to record my findings and especially my experiences. I apologize, I'm getting ahead of myself. I should start off with a run down._

 _My name is Ernest Keene Littlefield. I am an Alumni of Washington College located in Chestertown, Maryland; A doctor in the official title with a PhD in Anthropology, Masters in both Ancient Studies and Philosophy as well as Minors in Mathematics and Physics. A large list of degrees, I'm sure. I was quite the studious child._

 _Many months ago, during a fresh spring afternoon I was recruited by the United States Army and in accordance to keep national secrets, which I will apologize to break as of today; I was to be part of a research team in hopes to figure out the mysteries of a statue found in Giza, Egypt, two decades ago._

 _We started our research on September 3rd, 1944. There was very little to start digging through the historical archives, and so we began with the very basics. The statue was perfectly circular at a diameter of six point seven meters and weighed around twenty-nine tons, or sixty-four thousand American pounds. The army needed a multitude of machine assisted cranes and winches to set the statue at its current location, the_ _Cheyenne Mountain Complex._

 _In less than a weeks time, composition analysis return with negative results. The materials used in creating the statue were of unknown origin. None could find any correlation with the known elements. It was extraordinary! Our research however, were confined to the specific nature of the statue, its purpose, the designs and most assuredly, the uses of the device. Many of us advocated in studying the statue itself further, beginning with it's makeup and the meaning behind the hieroglyphs. It was majorly denied._

 _But I digress; The statue itself didn't even have a name at the time. As such we compared the symbols etched on and around the ring to all historical languages. Surprising to see, the symbols had no connection to where it was found. Egyptian hieroglyphs did not share any of the same signs of language ancestry In fact, there were no languages that had originated in the radius of Egypt with similar writing structure. The true surprise was that I had noticed on the edge of the statue, the outermost face of the 'wheel' contained runes!_ ** _Elder Futhark from the 2nd century._** _The implications!_

 _Some other researchers, a Dr. Gwyneth denied it's existence, stating it was a prank by some worker during the shipping process. I disagreed. There was something inherently different in these runes. Hand carving would be sloppy, misaligned unless they were from a practiced hand, doubly so if they used a chisel from a home improvement store, worse yet, **a knife**. This was not hand carved, the runes were stamped, much like how old printing machines were done. The discussion and eventual reveal of more different languages, some alluded to other historically controversial and others alien beyond our understanding created a fissure in the research team. _

_The team of fourteen scientists were split down the middle, and Dr. Gwyneth and I were the leaders of said factions. It was a sad day to see that we couldn't throw away our disagreements and join the pursuit of the same scientific endeavor. If we did, I can't hope but believe my current situation would not be like this. Nor would Dr. Gwyneth be executed._

 _But that is a story for another day._


	10. Indifference and Calculations

**It's not much. But I believe smaller worded chapters suit the smaller situations better before a major point comes. I decided to fuse certain subjects into one chapter so it's 2 per; Ending at the next chapter into something bigger. It's mainly to allow a sense of normalcy and show the state of mind of our protagonists.**

 **Inspiration for these chapters were based on the five stages of grief. They might not be experiencing Grief, but it's very similar in a way. Depression and post-journey can create something along the lines of trepidation, or Ennui. With nothing to impassion desires, what does someone without a goal do?**

 **I'd like to think that they think about things.**

* * *

 **Aetherious Mortem Chapter 8: Indifference and Calculations**

* * *

 _Do you fantasize about running a major corporation?_

 _No way. Ambitions like that will ruin your health..._

"Now sire, we're working on alien, or rather normal wheat seeds now. It'll take many years, or a few minutes if Lloyd ever stops jumping projects every moment to start domesticating these into something refined." The voice of Jeremiah started to babble in the background, as the man showed him step by step how to plant seeds by hand.

There was a new thing to learn every day; the former Knight was always enthusiastic when it came to agriculture, even more so for botany. He guessed Jeremiah was onto something when the knight took most of his wealth to purchase a farm of all things, an orange farm at that. Perhaps the man had a sense of irony, or he wished to lay that particular demon to rest. Now that he had nothing, he could see the appeal.

"We've got a few thousand square kilometers of land set up in levels for us to work on. The distributors should be pumping water down through artificial rivers, so the vegetation will get plenty of irrigation. We'll think about the habitat area later." Jeremiah outlined, pointing towards the man-made plateaus in the distance, stacked on top of each other much like a pillared cake. Water gushed out of openings at the base's domed walls, flowing in and out of miniature pathways.

The teen looked back at a cargo container, or what he deemed apt to call as such. A knightmare sized hexagonal box of shiny metal, undecorated and lacking embellishments. Automatic shelves opened whenever either he or the knight reached in for seeds, making a quiet whine of the hidden motors.

"At least the investment of keeping Lloyd around is starting to show dividends." Lelouch mused, rubbing his chin as he examined the base.

Jeremiah then attempted to explain the intricacies of plant biology, but the exiled lord most certainly ignored his knight's words. The pushing and pulling of imported dirt beneath his hands added to the artificial wind gently caressing him, and he couldn't hope to pay attention. It was Ashford all over again. Only… different. There was no bustle, no strain on his mind, just the black earth he pawed through.

Machinery could do this task for them, achieving results in a fraction of the time. At least until they realized **time was the one thing they had plenty of.**

His mind wandered as the feeling of soft dirt passed by his fingers, the seed level in the cargo container shrinking and shrinking until another batch appeared, this time were grains of some other type he didn't recognize. Lelouch could tell they were different from the previously used ones, but that was all. The sound of Jeremiah's voice became softer each passing second, the slight crunch of dirt overtaking him.

 _Hey, they say, if you fold a thousand of these cranes, your wish'll come true. So if there's anything at all that you've been wishing for?_

In an instant, his vision of the dome installation around him morphed into an all too familiar room. Purple eyes stared straight into the image from the past, something from so long ago. An image of his sister working on a paper crane, and a copy of him clad in the old uniform of the Ashford academy beside her. She was smiling, and so was he.

 _No, not really. What about you? Do you wish for anything?_

 _I wish the world was a gentler place._

That was her wish, wasn't it? The wish that gave him a reason to carry on, maybe not his own, but his sister's. The simple request he took with him when he decided to move to the next step in his plan. For rebellion, for fulfilling the dream he carried since he was a boy. For vengeance of a wronged child.

 _Please, you can't! We may have different mothers but you and I are still blood!_

 _You can't change the world without getting your hands dirty._

The death of Clovis was the start of it all. To give his brother a second chance would have been foolhardy; too much blood was in his hands, the blood of an artist. Thousands died and he only minded his public visage, unable to register what he had done. Lelouch used it, used him to fuel his desire to give Emperor Charles' Britannia a firm hand in cleansing the corruption. Back then he expected Britannia to hide Clovis' death until they either found a scapegoat, or the true perpetrator. Without either, their tenuous grip on Japan would be devolved into anarchy, followed by Chinese invasion and Terrorist/Resistance tyranny.

Lelouch wasn't a fool. Leadership required a leader; Kyoto had the beginnings of such, the remnants of the surviving family of Japan's prime minister, the JLF held the last of Japan's self defense force. But it wouldn't be enough. A post-uprising government would only be a false imitation of the past; pre-Invasion Japan was a Constitutional Monarchy **(Republic)** no matter what they called themselves. Republican or Democratic political structures had prerequisites for 10% of it to function properly.

No. Japan would have been a _**full monarchy**_ after their 'liberation'. No Japanese after their 'independence' from Britannia would accept any leader, aside from one that held the blood of Emperor Kinmei, the man that ascended to the Japanese throne over a thousand years before 2017 ATB. The royal family that still lived in the Britannian Homeland as 'guests' thanks to Schneizel's deft maneuvering. That left...

Suzaku…

Lelouch grit his teeth upon remembering his wayward friend. Was he right? Changing things from within was his goal, and he personally abolished the Numbers system exactly as Suzaku planned to. Removing the enshrined nobility and titles to gain the approval of the masses and handing independence to every colony also required him on the throne. Suzaku had the...

No, that wasn't right. _**How** _did he obtain the ability to change the system in the first place? Obviously it was after the so called 'death' of Emperor Charles, but the actions that lead up to it were much more complicated. He forced his path to power, he didn't work his way up. Like a knife to the heart instead of ingested poison.

He couldn't help but wonder what could've been if the Black Knights didn't betray him that fateful day. Would his campaign simply stop there after the battle? Would he consolidate his power, initiate closer alliances with China and the EU to invade the Britannian heartland? Would it even be possible? The entire operation required the element of surprise, being right where the enemy least expected him to be, doing what they didn't anticipate. Deception served him well too many times to count.

Was the coup a blessing in disguise? A distraction for Schneizel and the rest of the Britannian military to allow him to maneuver his way into Pendragon and claim the throne?

It couldn't be. Britannia's continuous onslaught against the EU territories and its grip on newly acquired Areas needed manpower. The number of units stationed across the borders only had the appearance of strength, they couldn't hold against a dedicated counter invasion. Not to mention the amount of competent officers who _**held** _command. But there was a chance they could rally, or his allies could fail. A gamble, all of it. Everything he did was a gamble.

 _ **But the Elite Rounds…**_

The humming tunes of a floating drone dragged him back into reality. The darkness of tilled land graced his eyes as he pulled himself up. One sweeping glance and Lelouch found himself astonished by the amount of land he covered. Figuring he only planted a small fields worth; Instead he felt the seeds in his hand fall as he tried to fathom the spanning pastures the size of a small country in front of him.

What had he been doing?! He was looking at the Fiji Islands if the seas of alien wheat, rye, and other such similar grains were any indication. Where was Jeremiah? Lloyd?

The drone hovering near him wasn't anything like the ones they salvaged; the telltale signs of Lloyd's handiwork was all over it as the white and purple blocky frisbee scanned the budding to already grown crops around him. Other drones followed suit, with some heading to till fields, while others gathered samples and some planted different seeds at various locations.

He gazed at his hand, finding the stains and blemishes from all the work he did were obviously not there. In the corner of his eye, Jeremiah's figure was moving towards him.

"Your Majesty!" The knight looked no different than before besides the appearance of a wardrobe change. He narrowed his gaze to stare at the vista around him, water rushing down the falls off a few miles away as a river snaked the through the fields. The habitat was large enough to create its own climate, with the ceiling going so far up as to make clouds. All the while drones kept diligently working on what he already planted.

"Jeremiah." Lelouch stated, calmly turning to give the man a pointed look. "How long has passed?"

The man hesitated. "The farming?"

"All of it."

The knight didn't made eye contact when he answered. "Seventeen years local time, sire."

Jeremiah waited for him to respond, but instead he placed his hands in his pockets. He should be angry, shouldn't he? It was as long as he was alive back home; From the moment he appeared in this universe, he hadn't done a single thing. What's more, he didn't even _**notice** _time pass by at all.

Lelouch could have done what he said about the primitive races they found, uplift them, go searching for events taking place around space, and gaze at the infinite majesty. He could have terraformed worlds, claimed more planets under his wing, and guide a society across the stars. He could…

What could he do?

He didn't have a goal. His dilemma must have shown on his face for Jeremiah shuffled his feet around, waiting for him to respond. Was this what CC felt as an immortal? Years, decades, gone without even noticing them passing?

The loss of a goal, desires, and drive? The knowledge of how much time they had, and how slow their perception was? A lifetime for one could be just a blink of an eye to him.

"Jeremiah." he commanded as the biome's winds shifting waves of crops in front of him. The knight ever dutifully straightened himself for him to continue. "If we haven't yet built one, get Lloyd to construct a command room."

The man raised a brow, but nonetheless did what he was told. Already a hologram from a tablet(when was that created?) appeared in front of the Knight's face. Frowning a little, he asked, "What do you hope to do, sire?"

Thoughts played out in his mind over and over. Chances, events, actions unfolded as per his design and others, by pure meddling or thanks to outside factors. Lelouch felt there was something he needed to put to rest, a nagging feeling that every man possessed after a deed.

"Debriefing."


End file.
